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7 Chilling Truths About The Conjuring's Real Story That The Movies Left Out (Updated 2025)

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The Conjuring franchise has cemented its place as a modern horror titan, largely due to its claim of being "based on a true story." As of late 2024 and heading into 2025, the conversation about the true story is more relevant than ever with the upcoming final installment, *The Conjuring: Last Rites*, which shifts focus to a new, equally terrifying case: the Smurl family haunting.

But what about the original, terrifying true story that started it all? The events depicted in the 2013 film, centered on the Perron family and their decade-long ordeal in a Harrisville, Rhode Island farmhouse, are far more complex, drawn out, and controversial than the movie suggests. This is the deep dive into the real-life figures and the unsettling paranormal claims that launched a cinematic universe.

— Current Date: December 22, 2025 —

The Real-Life Protagonists: Ed & Lorraine Warren and The Perron Family

The core of *The Conjuring*'s true story rests on two families: the paranormal investigators and the family they sought to help. Understanding their backgrounds is crucial to separating fact from Hollywood fiction.

Ed and Lorraine Warren: A Complete Profile

  • Edward "Ed" Warren Miney: (September 7, 1926 – August 23, 2006). Ed was a self-taught demonologist, author, and lecturer. Before becoming a full-time investigator, he was a Navy veteran and a police officer.
  • Lorraine Rita Warren (née Moran): (January 31, 1927 – April 18, 2019). Lorraine was a professional clairvoyant and light trance medium. She claimed to possess the ability to communicate with spirits and see auras.
  • Key Cases: The Warrens founded the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) in 1952. Their most famous cases include the Amityville Horror, the Annabelle doll haunting, and the Enfield Poltergeist.
  • Legacy: They are credited with popularizing the modern concept of paranormal investigation, though their methods and claims have been widely criticized by skeptics as sensationalism.

The Perron Family: The True Victims

  • Roger and Carolyn Perron: The parents who purchased the farmhouse in 1970, looking for a simpler life in the country.
  • The Five Daughters: The family included five girls: Andrea, Nancy, Cindy, Christine, and April. Andrea Perron, the eldest, has been the most vocal family member, detailing their experiences in her book series, *House of Darkness, House of Light*.
  • The Duration: Contrary to the film’s compressed timeline, the Perron family lived in the haunted Harrisville, Rhode Island farmhouse for nearly ten years, from 1970 to 1980.
  • The Exit: They only left when they could finally afford to move, as the financial burden of the mortgage prevented an earlier escape.

The Real Haunting of Harrisville: Fact vs. Fiction

The 1971 case at the Old Arnold Estate, now known as the "Conjuring House," is the bedrock of the film. While the movie takes massive creative liberties, the family’s claims of paranormal activity are consistent and terrifying.

The Decade-Long Ordeal

The Perrons reported a wide range of phenomena, a stark contrast to the film's focus on a single, dramatic exorcism. The hauntings were not an overnight event; they were a slow, escalating terror over a decade.

  • Physical Manifestations: The family reported doors slamming, beds levitating, and objects moving on their own. The children often saw full-bodied apparitions.
  • The Smell of Rot: A frequent occurrence was a foul, rotting odor that would appear and disappear without explanation, often preceding a paranormal event.
  • Targeting Carolyn Perron: The most malicious entity, which the Warrens identified as Bathsheba, focused its attacks on the mother, Carolyn. Andrea Perron described her mother being pinched, slapped, and even thrown from her chair.
  • The Warrens' Involvement: The Warrens visited the property and performed a séance, which Andrea Perron claims was the most terrifying event of all, as her mother reportedly became possessed and spoke in a strange voice.

The True Story of Bathsheba Sherman

The film's central antagonist is the witch Bathsheba Sherman, who supposedly lived on the property in the 19th century and cursed the land. The true story of Bathsheba is a fascinating blend of local legend and historical record.

  • The Historical Woman: Bathsheba Thayer was a real woman who lived in the area in the mid-1800s. She married Judson Sherman in 1844.
  • The Legend of the Witch: Local folklore claimed that Bathsheba was a Satanic witch who murdered her own infant child by sacrificing it to the devil. The rumor was that she died in 1885 and her body turned to stone.
  • The Debunked Claim: Historical records do not support the claim that Bathsheba Sherman was a witch or a murderer. She was a woman who lived an ordinary life and died of natural causes (a stroke) in 1885. The "witch" story appears to be a local legend that the Warrens and the film sensationalized.

The Ongoing Controversy and The 2025 Update

The legacy of *The Conjuring*'s true story is inseparable from the controversy surrounding the Warrens and the family's own differing accounts. This debate continues to evolve, especially with new films emerging.

Skepticism and The Warren Legacy

The Warrens' work has always been a lightning rod for criticism. Skeptics, including figures like neurologist Steven Novella, have long accused the couple of fabricating or exaggerating details to sensationalize cases for profit and fame.

  • Fabricated Evidence: Critics argue that the Warrens' methods lacked scientific rigor and relied heavily on anecdotal accounts and religious dogma, leading to the sensationalizing of cases like Amityville and the Perron haunting.
  • The Perron Split: While Andrea Perron staunchly defends the Warrens and the reality of the haunting, other family members and subsequent owners of the house have expressed skepticism or reported far less aggressive activity.
  • The House Today: The Harrisville farmhouse has become a major tourist attraction, with current owners hosting paranormal investigations and live streams, further blurring the line between history and entertainment.

The True Story of *The Conjuring: Last Rites* (2025)

The latest installment in the franchise, scheduled for 2025, moves away from the Perrons and focuses on the Smurl family haunting, which the Warrens investigated in the 1980s.

  • The Smurl Family Case: This case involves Jack and Janet Smurl and their family, who claimed that their Pennsylvania home was tormented by four different demons, including one that allegedly sexually assaulted Jack.
  • A New Level of Demonic Activity: The Smurl case is often cited by the Warrens as one of their most intense and complex cases of demonic possession and poltergeist activity, involving physical violence and alleged sexual abuse by an entity.
  • The End of an Era: *Last Rites* is being marketed as the final main installment of the Warrens’ story, bringing a new, controversial, and deeply unsettling real-life event to the screen to conclude the saga.

Ultimately, the true story of *The Conjuring* is a tapestry woven from genuine human terror, historical legend, and the controversial claims of two of the world's most famous paranormal investigators. While the Perrons maintain their experiences were terrifyingly real, the historical facts show a clear exaggeration of the "witch" legend, leaving the ultimate truth suspended somewhere between faith and skepticism.

7 Chilling Truths About The Conjuring's Real Story That The Movies Left Out (Updated 2025)
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the true story about the conjuring

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